Jakarta still far from a city of fashion
Jakarta still far from a city of fashion
T. Sima Gunawan
Contributor
Jakarta
Fashion is Paris, New York and Milan. These are the three
cities people all over the world refer to when they talk about
the hottest new clothes.
What about Jakarta? "No way," you might say. But why not?
Jakarta has many talented fashion designers and Indonesia is rich
in culture that could become a never-ending source of
inspiration.
"We have hundreds of traditional clothes, from Aceh to Papua,"
Sjamsidar Isa, chairwoman of the executive board of the
Indonesian Designers Association (IPMI) says.
There are also many textile factories in the country. And many
Jakarta residents are also fashion-conscious. Just take a stroll
in a shopping mall and you will see many people -- especially
teenagers -- in trendy outfits. Those who have money in their
pockets may wear the latest piece of a designer collection, while
others show off hip looking "street" clothes from outlets that
cater for middle-to-lower income earners.
The idea of making Jakarta a city of fashion is not new. "I
heard about the concept when I entered the fashion business in
1991," says designer Musa Widyatmodjo, who is also chairman of
the Indonesian Fashion Designer Entrepreneurs Association
(APPMI).
It is true the fashion industry is relatively new here.
Indonesia is a young country, which only gained its independence
in 1945. In the beginning life was tough and the priority of many
was survival, chic clothing was out of the question.
It was not until the 1970s when the economy started to improve
that the fashion industry began to develop. The emergence of
modern shopping centers and women's magazines also played a role
in the development of fashion.
Jakarta has turned into a metropolitan city with many people
adopting a modern lifestyle -- which means keeping up with the
trends.
Clothes are not now just something to cover the body, they are
the individual expression of the wearer. There are a great
variety of fabrics, styles, colors, designs and prices to suit
the preferences of men and women, young and old alike.
Local fashion designers closely follow international trends
and every year they present their creations through fashion shows
held separately by the IPMI and APPMI.
However, despite its potential, Jakarta has failed to emerge
as a new fashion city in the region.
One of the main problems is the lack of cooperation between
fashion designers, textile manufacturers and garment producers --
all who have different ideas about how to progress the industry,
Sjamsidar says.
Musa, meanwhile, is frustrated at the lack of support from
retailers and the government.
Those in the textile and garment industries prefer to take
orders from foreigners -- whose orders are now dropping off, he
says. They are reluctant to cooperate with local designers, as
the later usually run smaller-scale businesses.
Musa says that in many countries, the fashion industry
developed because retailers gave designers their full support.
"For example, in a foreign country if I were to attend a
textile exhibition and buy a small amount of the fabric -- the
manufacturer might even give me the textiles for free. I would
then produce my clothes and present them in a fashion show. The
retailers would come to watch the show and if they were
interested, they would give me a production order. I would then
get enough money to buy the textiles on a large scale.
"But here, people who come to the fashion shows are the
customers, not the retailers," Musa says.
In Indonesia, the business transaction between a retailer and
a designer is based on sharing. The designer asks the retailers
to sell the clothes. If they are sold, the designer gets the
money, otherwise, they take home the unsold items.
As a designer and small-scale entrepreneur, Musa produces
clothes that are made to order as well as ready-to-wear items. He
also makes traditional textiles -- woven products -- in his
workshop. He took on the venture solo because textile
manufacturers did not want to cooperate on a small scale.
"Here in Indonesia, fashion designers walk alone. So, I am
skeptical about the idea of making Jakarta a city of fashion. At
least, there is no way it will be realized in the near future.
Maybe 30 years from now, but I don't know how things will be
then," he says.
Sjamsidar, who is also executive director of Studio One public
relations and an event organizer, agrees that it will not be easy
to realize this dream. Milan, she says, took 50 years before it
became a city of fashion.
Jakarta has the resources to develop a strong fashion industry
but the players have many problems to solve, she says.
Djadin Djamaludin, vice chairman of the Indonesian Textile
Association, says textile manufacturers also want to encourage
the fashion industry. But, he admits, they have a different focus
from the designers.
"Fashion designers are artists who put weight on freedom of
expression, while we are more business and marketing oriented.
What if the products don't sell?" he says. "The designers should
be willing to compromise and restrain their egos."
That is not entirely wrong, says Sjamsidar. But, she says,
things will only work if both parties sit down together and
compromise to find a win-win solution.
It seems that Jakarta cannot celebrate becoming a city of
fashion yet, even if the designers and manufacturers are all
dressed up -- and ready to party.
After all, it takes two to tango.